Serie A chief: New football needed, matches abroad, youth focus | OneFootball

The president of Lega Serie A analyzes the priorities of the football system: outdated facilities, international television rights, the fight against piracy, and the (for now abandoned) idea of holding the entire first matchday of the championship in the United States.

Lega Serie A, Simonelli: “We need a new kind of football. Matches abroad, stadiums to rebuild, and winning back the youth”

Ezio Simonelli, president of Lega Serie A, gave an interview to Corriere della Sera addressing the crucial issues for the future of Italian football. Between visionary ideas, such as exporting the entire first matchday of Serie A overseas, and structural urgencies related to stadiums and tax reforms, Simonelli outlines a long-term strategy to modernize the movement.

“I wanted the first matchday in the United States. One day it will be possible” The idea was as ambitious as it was symbolic: to take the entire first matchday of Serie A to the United States. According to Simonelli, it was a project that made economic and promotional sense. “I had received a concrete proposal,” he reveals, “but it wasn’t possible to take it further. I hope it can happen in the future, when the regulatory context allows it.”

While waiting for better times, the intention to play official matches outside of Italy remains alive. For example, Simonelli is confident that the Milan–Como match could be played in Perth, Australia, due to the unavailability of San Siro because of the Winter Olympics: “The FIGC has already authorized us and I’ve also found interest from UEFA. FIFA, with Infantino, has listened to us.”

Foreign TV rights and youth academy reform: “I don’t see apocalyptic scenarios” To those, like Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who predict a bleak future for Italian football, Simonelli responds with moderate optimism: “I don’t see apocalyptic scenarios. Domestic TV rights have been renewed until 2029, now we need to focus on the international ones. That’s where there is still a lot of room for growth.”

But to relaunch the system’s competitiveness, investment in the foundations is needed: youth academies. To do this, Simonelli proposes targeted tax measures: “If we want to revive the glory of the National Team, we must focus on training young players. We need incentives and tax breaks for clubs that invest in youth sectors.”

“The stadiums? Inadequate. If we drank beer, it would be a disaster” One of the most critical points concerns infrastructure. “The issue of stadiums is a real national emergency. To give a provocative example: it’s a good thing that in Italy we don’t have a culture of drinking beer at the stadium, otherwise the lack of adequate bathrooms would become unbearable.”

Simonelli emphasizes that the redevelopment of facilities is not only urgent for Serie A, but for the entire country, especially with Euro 2032, which Italy will co-host, on the horizon.

The fight against piracy: “Those who use illegal streaming are thieves” No less important is the fight against audiovisual piracy. Simonelli is clear: “The economic damage to sport amounts to about 350 million a year. Finally, the first sanctions have been issued against users who use illegal streaming devices. We need to send a cultural message: those who watch matches illegally are stealing.”

Winning back the youth: earlier matches and less social media Finally, the president of the League touches on a strategic issue: bringing young people back to watch football live. “Kids are distracted by a thousand things. To reach them, we also need to change TV habits: evening matches shouldn’t start at 8:45 p.m., but earlier. If it were up to me, kickoff would be at 8 p.m. sharp.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.